Chapter 13 · Digital Static

"Get off the table, Kyle. Now." Elara grabbed the back of my jacket and hauled me away from the wall of dead monitors.

I hit the concrete hard enough to bite my tongue. Copper filled my mouth. Every screen in Jax's shop flashed at once, even though none of them had power.

"Don't touch me," I snapped.

"Then stop reaching for the wiring."

"It's screaming."

Jax froze beside the workbench. "The wiring?"

"The whole building." I pressed both palms against my ears. It didn't help. The noise wasn't coming through them anymore. It crawled behind my eyes, sharp and layered. Fans. Pumps. Security locks. A broken elevator motor three floors down. The tiny pulse of a hidden camera inside Jax's ceiling.

And under all of it, that signal from the tower.

Three notes. A pause. Seven fast clicks.

It kept repeating.

"Kyle." Elara crouched in front of me. Her face stayed calm, but her fingers had gone white around the injector she still held. "Look at me."

"I am looking at you."

"No, you're looking through me."

Her hand came toward my face. I caught her wrist before she could touch me.

Her skin was warm.